Nestled on a hillside, the Avize willage could be considered one of Champagne's countless villages, whereas it is actually so much more. Not only is it an essential terroir for wine lovers, but also one of the 5 legendary villages to be classified Grand Cru in the Côte des Blancs, along with Oger, Cramant, Avize and Le Mesnil.
This is where Champagne Lancelot et Fils was established, a family-run business now headed by Hubert Lancelot, a warm-hearted winegrower with a strong personality.
The house's signature?
A perpetual quest for terroir, brilliantly represented by a range honoring plot-based champagnes and ratafia, a traditional sweet liqueur wine from Champagne."This is where Champagne Lancelot et Fils was established, a family-run business now headed by Hubert Lancelot, a warm-hearted winegrower with a strong personality.
Long before Hubert Lancelot took over the reins of the House that was to become Champagne Lancelot et fils, successive generations cultivated the vines still grown by the family today.
Jean Lancelot, great-grandfather of the current winemaker, was first an itinerant "bouilleur de cru" (distiller) in the 1930s for Goyard in Ay. Meanwhile, he decided to cultivate vines, some of which he inherited and others of which he bought on the Cramant terroir. Owning his own wine press, he started marketing his wines at a time when vines were not very valuable. The story had begun...
In the 60s, Hubert's grandfather Daniel Lancelot, following a career as head winemaker at Henriot, decided to exclusively devote himself to his "Champagne Lancelot Daniel" business. With Geneviève, Hubert's grandmother, they built their house in Cramant and dug a cellar in chalk to house 200,000 bottles. Over the course of their careers, they acquired more vineyards and vineyard land, to expand the business.
Claude Lancelot, Hubert's father, set up his own business in Avize in 1981, the Champagne Lancelot Goussard, with his wife Nadine. They sold them under the names "Champagne Claude Lancelot" and "Champagne Lancelot Fils" and replanted vineyard land before they expanded the production facilities.
Claude passed away in 2012, and Hubert and his mother decided to pursue the business until 2015, at which point they decided to retain only the "Champagne Lancelot Fils" brand and to create a new style of cuvée alongside it.
Since 2011, Hubert has been constantly modernizing the work tools, while turning to a precision viticulture respectful of the environment. What's Hubert's passion? To create quality wines with terroir and character.